The booking shot is one of the few we can remember seeing of a suspect with his eyes closed. Tony Ribera, a former police chief who now runs the International Institute of Criminal Justice Leadership at the University of San Francisco, confirmed it’s unusual and that the photographer would normally retake the shot.

“Of course you have to have the color of the eyes — it’s an important identification for a booking photo,” he said.

Could the San Francisco Police Department, which released the mug shot, have been rubbing salt in the wound of a politician it’s never much liked?

“The booking photos are taken by the San Francisco sheriff’s department,” said Officer Albie Esparza, a spokesman for the police department. “I don’t know what their standard practice is for taking photos, but normally they would take more pictures. I’ve never seen anyone with their eyes closed.”

Fortunately, we’ve never had to take a mug shot of a new boss (awkward!), but we imagine you’d want to ensure a good photo. But the department’s deputies backed an opponent of Mirkarimi in the November election so was one trying to mess with him now?

Or was Mirkarimi keeping his eyes closed on purpose? (We somehow doubt it since Chronicle reporters have definitely heard about it when an unflattering photo of him appears in the paper.)

“I have no idea,” said Susan Fahey, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department.

That seems to be the answer for a lot of Mirkarimi-related questions these days.